Online Frauds Flood the Internet With Fake Social Accounts and False News

July 1717:572017

Increase in Competition Leads Many to Drastic Measures

With 3.5 billion searches being conducted on Google every day, internet competition can get cut-throat. More online frauds are being reported in social media this year than ever before. The increase in those seeking fake social and email accounts is thought to be attributed to the increase in competition.

“With the increase in the use of computers comes many areas of concerns. Cyber security is a hot topic right now,” stated an authority on the subject. According to BBC, The number of identity theft has risen by 57% in the past year alone which is alarming. Another issue that has surfaced is that the intense competition online has led many to seek fraudulent measures like the purchase of fake social media content and false emails”

A recent study was published that concluded that even social media savvy teen-agers who use the platforms regularly are unable to spot fraudulent posts, news and other fake features. Only 44% felt they could spot less than honest content and many of them were fooled into believing fake social media material.

While fake social media and emails are sometimes created with fowl play in mind, it is also done by many online presences as a means for survival. As the number of ecommerce and websites online grow by leaps and bounds on a daily basis, so does the competition. Companies fight for top spots on search engine results and many other competitive situations which bring the desperate to count on media scams to pump up their business.

“I know that much of the news I see on social media is not true,” said an avid computer user. “I don’t worry too much about it though. I think as long as there is an internet, there will be fake news, frauds and scams. Buying social media followers is commonplace and I think most of us who are on the web a lot just realize and accept that as a fact. As long as I am not being harmed, I am not too concerned about it.”

Norton Security has determined that as the internet becomes a larger part of people’s lives, more physical objects connect to the internet as well. With the influx of such connected devices comes more targets for cybercriminals and hackers.

It is estimated that in the past year, 689 million users in 21 countries worldwide were affected by cybercrime. In addition to the immerging of objects that connect to the internet, the increased competition of websites to have visibility of content and pages has led to a record-breaking use of fake social media news and emails and the practice of buying social media followers as well.

Research shows that by the year 2020, there will likely be 50 billion things that connect to the internet, warranting more cybersecurity needed. It is also predicted that the practice of acquiring fraudulent social media followers, fake news and false emails will be commonplace as well.